MINITS iWitness Kit Review

Have you ever wanted to show someone exactly what you saw through your riflescope when you took a shot? How about being able to record through your spotting scope? Would you like that video to be in high definition? How about being able to instantly upload to the internet without spending thousands of dollars? If you have a popular smartphone you are in luck. Vision Pro Shop has a solution for you.

The MINITS iWitness kit allows you to attach your smartphone to your rifle scope, night vision scope or spotter with ease. The Vision Pro Shop offers a variety of adapters to attach to a wide range of scopes.

We have been using the MINITS iWitness kits on our Bushnell LMSS and a plethora of rifle scopes for several months. The kits work very well. We have used less expensive digiscoping adapters in the past, but they were unable to maintain the sight picture through multiple shots. The iWitness allows for operation of the rifle in a somewhat normal manner. If you are planning on regularly using the iWitness on your rifle scope, you will want to move the scope forward enough to get a proper cheek weld and focus your eyes on the screen of your phone. It is then a simple matter to write down your zero offset for future use.

We have tested the iWitness kit on calibers from .22 to .308 with no problems at all. We have seen the iWitness kit used on rifles up to .375CT. The MonoLoc had no problem holding the assembly on the rifle scope. However the iPhone is not exactly designed to take the repeated hammering that a high recoil system can dish out. I have hundreds of rounds of .308 through the system without an iPhone failure, but you have to decide what your comfort level is.

The uses for the MINITS iWitness in recreational shooting and videography are limited only by your imagination. The MINITS iWitness also has great potential in a Military and Law Enforcement capacity. With the inclusion of video chat/conferencing in most smart phones it is possible to attach the iWitness to a spotting scope and stream live video of a target back to the command center. In a Law Enforcement role, the video can be recorded for evidentiary purposes. In the litigation that often follows a justifiable use of force, this piece of evidence could be critical in demonstrating the reasonableness of the department’s actions.

Use of the iWitness Kit is extremely simple. You insert the appropriate bushing into the MonoLoc adapter. Slip the adapter onto your optic. Slide your smartphone into the cradle. Then fine tune the position of the adapter so that you get the image in the center of your phone’s field of view. Lock down the MonoLoc lever and record. Rich at Vision Pro Shop suggested to use that when taking photographs with the iPhone, we should use the included earbuds. The controls on the earbuds act as a wired remote when the Camera App is open. Use of the rifle scope version is essentially the same. The only difference is that the phone mount is equipped with the Rifle Scope Adapter tube. This tube allows you to adjust the eye relief for the best sight picture before locking down the MonoLoc. This is critical on high magnification rifle scopes.

The MINITS iWitness kit is available for the iPhone 4,4S and 5 as well as several Android smartphone options. In the iPhone 4/4S kit the iPhone can be housed in a waterproof Lifeproof Case. The LifeProof case ensures that you iPhone will be able to survive any weather your optics can.

Overall the kits worked extremely well. The only improvement I could see would be to come up with a method to adjust the MonoLoc adapter for different ocular housings without the use of the adapter bushings.

The iWitness Kits vary greatly in price depending on the individual parts included. If you need to attach a camera or smartphone to an optic, chances are the Vision Pro Shop will have a kit for you. The Vision Pro Shop website is fairly well laid out and should allow you to select a kit for your intended purpose.